This invention relates generally to processes for preparing parfried and frozen potato strips such as French fries. More specifically, this invention relates to an improved process for preparing batter coated potato strips adapted for reconstitution or finish preparation in an oven, with a fast finish preparation time together with a highly desirable combination of taste, appearance and textural characteristics closely matching the characteristics of frozen parfried potato strips which have been finish prepared by frying.
Parfried and frozen potato strips, commonly referred to as French fries, are widely available in the foods industry. These potato products are conventionally prepared by cutting whole potatoes into elongated strips of a desired size and shape, and then partially cooking the potato strips by blanching in water or steam. Thereafter, the potato strips are partially fried, or parfried, in hot cooking oil, followed by freezing for packaging, shipping and/or storage. Prior to consumption, the parfried and frozen potato strips are reconstituted or finish prepared typically by finish frying in hot oil. French fried potato strips of this type are utilized extensively in restaurant and food service operations, and particularly in so-called fast food restaurants wherein it is desirable to produce a finish cooked product with a substantially optimized set of quality characteristics and with a finish fry preparation time that is as short or fast as possible.
More specifically, one major objective of potato processors is to provide parfried and frozen potato strips which can be finish prepared with a combination of taste, color, odor, and textural attributes selected for optimum consumer palatibility. For example, it is highly desirable to provide parfried and frozen potato strips which, after reconstitution, exhibit a light and tender but crispy exterior surface encasing a soft and mealy interior which is neither too dry nor too soggy. Moreover, especially in a fast food restaurant environment, it is important to provide finish cooked potato strips which can consistently retain these desired sensory qualities for an extended holding period of at least several minutes before actual consumption. In the past, achieving these desirable product qualities on a consistent basis has generally required that the potato strips be finish prepared by frying in hot oil. In a fast food establishment, to avoid advance preparation of potato strips that might not be sold or served within a limited holding time of several minutes, a rapid finish fry step is desired and is typically on the order of about 1-3.25 minutes for smaller so-called shoestring size cut strips and about 3-4 minutes for larger strips cut sizes.
In recent years, alternative finish preparation methods have been researched in an attempt to eliminate the need to finish fry potato strips at the restaurant or food service facility. In this regard, traditional finish fry preparation methods have required specialized or dedicated frying equipment which can be difficult to maintain in a clean and sanitary condition. Moreover, finish frying steps inherently requiring the facility to use and handle significant amounts of cooking oil, with its associated cost and increasingly complex issues of used oil disposal. Further, there is an increased demand among health conscious consumers for food products having a reduced oil or fat content, whereby there is a growing demand for potato strips which are not finish prepared by frying. While these factors all contribute to an increasing interest in potato strips which have been finish prepared by means other than frying, the final product served to the consumer must exhibit a substantially optimized set of taste, appearance and textural characteristics similar to a finish fried product in order to achieve consumer acceptance.
Moreover, in recent years, batter coatings in the form of a water-based starch slurry have been proposed in French fry potato strip preparation processes, wherein the potato strips are dipped into or sprayed with the coating before parfrying and freezing. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,059,435; 5,141,759; and 5,648,110. The batter-coated potato strips are subsequently finish prepared normally by finish frying in hot oil, to produce potato strips having enhanced external crispiness and exhibiting somewhat extended product holding times prior to consumption. Attempts to finish prepare such batter-coated products by other methods, particularly such as by oven heating with a fast cycle time comparable to finish frying, have resulted in potato strips which are unacceptably limp and soggy, and which do not exhibit a satisfactory post-preparation holding time. Accordingly, batter coated French fry potato strips for finish preparation by oven heating have not achieved any significant degree of commercial acceptance.
The present invention relates specifically to an improved product and related process for preparing batter coated French fry potato strips which are suitable for fast finish preparation by oven heating, with a cycle time comparable to finish fry preparation, wherein the finish prepared potato strips exhibit a combination of taste, appearance and texture characteristics similar to batter coated potato strips which have been finish fried.